There's nothing quite like a good betrayal. Pulling the rug out from under an audience can be as shocking as it is heartbreaking. It's a feat of storytelling that only truly talented creators can pull off. But if it's done right, a betrayal can completely recontextualize the story around it, and take that story to a whole new level of sheer insanity. Over the years, there have been quite a few betrayals that have left audiences with their jaws on the floor. Here, for your reading pleasure, are the top ten best times our favorite heroes betrayed us.
10 Spider-Man Demonstrates His Superiority- Superior Spider-Man
We can't really hold Peter Parker accountable for this one, seeing as throughout the entire run of Superior Spider-Man the wall-crawler's consciousness has been transplanted into the body of a dying Otto Octavious, and vice versa. But we were all still floored when Otto demonstrated his new technique for keeping criminals in line, namely, killing them dead in the streets. The fact that Spider-Man can be seen not only killing someone in cold blood, but using a GUN of all things to do so, is both disturbing and a bold betrayal of everything the character stands for.
9 Superman Loses It- Injustice
Alternate timelines are always a great way to showcase heroes in a new light. Red Son envisioned a world where Superman landed in Communist Russia instead of America, becoming a Soviet superhero instead of the All-American defender we all know and love. Injustice, however, went a decidedly different route. Beginning with the death of Lois Lane at the hands of the Joker, Superman begins a dark descent that eventually sees him become a vengeful dictator. He brutally murders the Joker and uses his awesome power to subjugate the world under his authoritarian rule. It's a sharp rebuke of everything the character stands for and sets the stage for an epic confrontation between the Kryptonian and the former members of the Justice League.
8 Arthur and Dinah Wage War- Flashpoint
Another excursion into an alternate timeline sees Arthur Curry and Dinah Prince waging a bloody and casualty-heavy conflict in the future. In the seminal Flashpoint storyline, Barry Allen travels to an alternate future in which his Mother never died. The ripple effect, however, throws many other aspects of the Justice League into disarray, creating a world where Thomas Wayne is Batman, the Flash does not exist, and Aquaman and Wonder Woman are in the midst of a deadly war between Atlantis and the Amazonians. While each have their reasons for battling one another, they also do unspeakably evil things during the conflict, Wonder Woman killing Billy Bennett being chief among them.
7 The Sad Saga of Jason Todd- Batman
Jason Todd has had a rough life. While he once served at Batman's side as the successor to Dick Grayson's Robin, things took a turn for the horrific after the controversial A Death in the Family storyline. When comic fans were given the opportunity to choose whether Todd lived or died at the hands of the Joker, they overwhelmingly chose for him to meet his demise, changing the course of comics history in the process. Jason returned a few years later as the villainous Red Hood, a vigilante without an ounce of Batman's moral compass. After a confrontational storyline with the Caped Crusader, Jason Todd became more of an anti-hero, almost a pseudo-Punisher for the DC universe. But boy, did he go DARK for awhile.
6 Jean becomes Dark Phoenix- Dark Phoenix Saga
Speaking of Dark: Jean Grey. The Phoenix force is a power to be reckoned with, and poor Jean Grey faced her fair share of trouble once the cosmic entity took control of her. Acting without restraint or control, the Phoenix clashed with the X-Men, devoured a star and killed the entire population of a nearby civilization as a result. While she had no control over her actions, the betrayal of her fellow X-Men and her own moral code places Jean Grey on this list as one of the most powerful adversaries the X-Men have ever faced.
5 Baron Mordo Reveals His True Goal- Dr. Strange
Initially another student of The Ancient One with Stephen Strange, Mordo eventually revealed that his main goal was to kill the original Sorcerer Supreme and take the title for himself. With the help of Dr. Strange, the Ancient One was able to foil Baron Mordo's plan, starting a longstanding feud with Dr. Strange after the neurosurgeon takes the title Baron was lusting after. Mordo then becomes one of Strange's most nefarious adversaries, betraying all the teachings of the Ancient One and constantly attacking his former ally.
4 Hawkeye Kills Hulk- Civil War II
This might not exactly count as a betrayal, as Hawkeye was acting on the orders of Bruce himself when he fired the vibranium arrow that killed Hulk in Civil War II. But still, few events in the sequel to Marvels infamous Civil War storyline matched the sheer audacity of the Avengers archer killing Hulk before he went on a rampage. It's a gut-punch, with lasting repercussions (for a little while, anyway) and puts Hawkeye in the middle of an ethical trial. Even though it wasn't a betrayal, it certainly felt that way as we witnessed the fallout from Hawkeye's adherence to Banner's order.
3 Batmans Contingency Plans- JLA: Tower of Babel
Batman has always been a pragmatic and logical superhero, relying as much on intellect and forethought to defeat his adversaries as he does his ninja training and gadgets. But his intellect is turned against him with disastrous consequences during the Tower of Babel storyline, which sees Ra's Al Ghuul using the Caped Crusaders contingency plans for the Justice League to effectively destroy them. Green Lantern is blinded, Aquaman is inflicted with a fear of water, Plastic Man is frozen and then shattered to pieces.
It's horrifying and seems like an insurmountable challenge, until the tables turn and the League emerges victorious. But the fact that Batman's own plans were turned against the League leaves his involvement in the JLA in question, as the other heroes are left reeling that one of their own could concoct plans so heinous to incapacitate them. Even though Batman himself didn't betray them, the usage of his contingency plans effectively rules his actions a betrayal of the JLA.
2 Hal becomes Parallax- Green Lantern: Emerald Twilight
Easily one of the most shocking betrayals in the history of comics is Hal Jordan's fall from grace in the Emerald Twilight storyline. After Coast City is destroyed, Hal loses his mind and goes on a furious rampage, killing all but one of his fellow Green Lanterns and taking the mantle of Parallax in the wake of his killing spree. Though later retcons would drastically change the context of his actions and his final sacrifice is viewed as a redemption, Jordan's monstrous rampage on the Planet of Oa and his years as the entity Parallax are widely considered one of the bleakest and most disturbing betrayals in the history of comics.
1 Hail Hydra- Captain America: Steve Rogers
Here it is: the twist heard around the world. Even if you weren't a comic reader, you no doubt heard the news in 2016 when Nick Spencer penned one of the biggest twists of the past decade: Steve Rogers is Hydra. Few storylines have been as controversial as the Secret Empire, which sees the Star-Spangled Man turn on the Avengers and reveals a secret backstory in which Rogers was Hydra all along. Captain America does some unspeakably evil things in this story, including wanton murder, a fascist uprising and spearheading the eventual takeover of world government under the rule of Hydra. We eventually learn that Steve himself is not responsible for his actions (it's actually the result of Red Skull and a sentient Cosmic Cube named Kobik rewriting the Avengers timeline), but that doesn't change the sheer jaw-dropping shock of seeing Steve Rogers proclaiming "Hail Hydra."
NEXT: Captain America Brings Back a Secret Empire Villain...With a Twist